Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-21
THE WAY 1T IS DONE.

How sebeming Politicians, Even Legs
Iators, Advance Pet Measures.
Rumors have been ahoat for long tim
pointing to the fact that there was corrup
ton at the clerks desk in the Assembly
The newspaper reporters, ever alert to IN
earth wrong doing and hold the culprit W
before the public, announced this fac
weeks ago, and at last the House deter
mined TO investigate the charges. The
committee appointed by the Speaker FOL
that purpose is one which knows how tc
probe and dissect, and they have torn off q
scab that reveals corruption beyond the
expectation of any one, and lmpllcates
Senators, Assemblymen, clerks and citizens
The Committee on Retrenchment( Gould
Chairman), have been considering Tor some
DAYS the charges preferred against the En-
| crossing Clerk, Shaen, but being unable to
compel witnesses to attend, ADMINISTRATION
has been practically of little effect, as their
very unsatisfactory report to the House in
| dictates.
This. however, is not the case with the
committee appointed to investigate the
charges against Ray G. Falk, an attache OF
the House, who is charged with having
| moved the Dlil COuhty Va w
! lusa 100 numbers in advance of its proper
position upon the file. The committee con-
sists of Assemblymen Heath, Ellsworth,
Ewing, Morris and Davis. The result of
their investigation so far shows the wisdom
of Speaker Jordan in appointing so thor
oughly competent committee. at the out
| set it looked as though this investigation
was secondary in importance to that of
Shaen's, but it has developed into full
blown sensation, with several precincts yet
to hear from.
Chief Clerk Ryan was the first witness
examined Saturday evening. He knew of
nothing wrong with the file, with the ex-
ception of the advancement of the Glenn
county bill
Frank j. Brandon, one of the assistant
clerks at the desk, testified that he saw no
bills actually changed. He knew that
leaves had been cut out, which would
necessarily change the position of many
bills on the file. He had noticed Falk
working at the file with knife, holding in
his hand at the same time a mucilage
brush, and added, {" 1 think he had piece
of PAPER in his hand, also. / do not think
| any one else touched the file
The committee seemed to think this con-
elusive evidence against Falk. but they
had "got on a warm track" which they
proposed to follow, and next called to the
stand Ed. J. Smith, another assistant clerk,
who gave testimony of such sensational
character that the committee deemed it
best to go into executive session ard keep
the result of their further investigation out
of the newspapers until it was reported to
the House. The reporters retired, but after
wards ascertained from Smith and men,
bers of the committee nearly all that trans
PRED. Smith was prepared, and, to use
homely expression, loaded for the occa-
SION" He informed the committee at the
outset that he knew all about this and
other transactions Of the present session,
and innumerable similar crookedness
of previous Legislatures. He was 60
ing to give names. dates and fig
ures, and should shield no one, from
Senators and State officials down to the
meanest ward striker. He produced the
mutilated sheets and explained how the
cutting had been done. When he first dis
covered it he Immediately reported it to
Speaker Jordan and Chief Clerk Ryan.
He said " found the whole file wrong,
tore it up and made new one" He also
added that offers of money had been made
to him to change the order of bills on the
file All such offers he had reported to the
Chief Clerk. In answer to question by
committeeman, he said the highest offer he
had received of this kind was $780, As
semblymen and Senators had offered him
coin and endeavored to bride him to ad-
vance on the file bills IN which they were
interested and those they wished to
kill put back. He gave number
of the names of members of both houses
who bad sought by offers of money
to corrupt him. His position, he said. was
the only one at the desk at which any
money could be made, and he could very
easily make 81, 500 over and above his per
diem during the session, if he felt so dis
posed. His honor was more to him than
all their gold. He spurned their offers and
now proposed to thoroughly ventilate their
corrupt practice and other petty schemes
to defeat honest legislation. The most in
teresting portion of his evidence was as
follows; well, to tell you the truth,
when l was first approached on this Glenn
county bill l went to Hart of Colusa and
asked him if he would protect me if |
made the change and should be found out
Hart replied promptly, No, sir, l would
not l do not want anything to do with
any such business l want the bill consid-
cred on its merits, and do not wish it to
pass in any other way. No dishonorable
means shall be used with my consent"
Smith continued: =" l did not intend to do
II, anu OILY cdlu nOulu W Scl Vi tIle
man. / said it only as bluff. The next
day was approached again, and this same
individual said: You did not do that
said No; it must be some mistake of the
printer; | will do it tomorrow got Frank
Ryan to go with me to the State Printers
Office so that he could see that no changes
were made. He went with me, and so did
Mr.. Bruck" Smith then showed why he
had gone to Hart of Colusa to sound him
on the proposition. Knox of Los Angeles,
he said, came to him to learn what he
knew concerning corrupt uses to pass the
bill He said Knox wanted to know so
that he could use the knowledge to defeat
the bill. 1t was to get Knox the informa-
ton that he went TO Hart. He said that he
had also been assured that if his associate
clerks should discover him and threaten
exposure, they should also be fixed y
that is, receive DOODLE Smith said that
last year he was offered 81 900 to change
the word :" or" to aud in bill. He de-
clined to do it, but came near falling
down-it was a great temptation. That
offer, be said, was made to him by prom
inent State official who is still in Office, but
whose term of appointment will expire in
about two months. The name was not
revealed, but the committee know who it
is. and he will be called before the COM
mittee to state why the conjunction " or"
is worth 81 600 more than the conjunction
land
Smith then went into minor details He
said he had been offered $500 to drop Tay-
lor's insurance bill from the file This bill
was one introduced by request, at the in
stance of the Insurance Commissioner,
making some changes in the verbiage of
the present law, harmonizing it with the
Code He gave the name of the party
making him this offer-Thomas Agnew, of
San Francisco-and exhibited quite
collection of letters and short notes from
Assemblymen and Senators in reference TO
such work, all Of which he read for the
information of the committee and which,
when embodied in their forthcoming re-
port, will make it the most memorable
document ever placed in the journal of
this or any other State in the Union.
The committee remained in session until
the clock struck II, and then adjourned
until to-day, when Smith will again take
up the thread of his interesting discourse
where he left off.
He said that an Alameda county attor-
ney, who was interested in the claim of
Aurelia Pfeiffer for water furnished the
University, had offered him $50 to advance
that bill on the file. The bill is for ST. 600,
and the $50 was rather a slim offer.
He charged w. H. II. Hart also was ready
to give him sack if he would advance
bill relating to Public Administrators on
the file.
-, c.. 70